Dental cleanings also known as Oral prophylaxis plays an important part in maintaining periodontal Health of a person. Periodontal diseases or in other term Gum diseases are also called silent killers because unlike Pulpal diseases that results from cavities, gum diseases hardly present any acute pain in majority of cases and a person is unaware about it. Many a times it gets noticed in advanced stages when a patient is neither motivated about dental health or do not go to dentist for regular check.
Dental Cleanings have numerous benefits:
- Tartar Removal: If oral hygiene measures are not taken care of, a gel like layer is formed over the teeth that eventually hardens and becomes tartar or calculus. This tartar is not easily removed by toothbrushing and it deteriorates the gums and underlying bone if not cleaned professionally by your dentist.
- Stain removal: Accumulation of plaque and calculus results in staining which does not go away with brushing or flossing. Dental cleaning in such cases is the only option to remove the stains.
- Gum diseases: tartar built over the teeth results in gums swelling and infection. In extreme cases it starts to affect the underlying bone and loosen the teeth. So regular checkup for removing calculus should be priority for all.
- Fresh Breath: Cleaning the teeth on regular intervals helps to keep the breath fresh. If not cleaned, it results in Halitosis or bad breath. Although there are other systemic causes also for bad breath but most common is accumulation of calculus.
- Prevention of cavities: As the plaque buildup around the teeth, it results in formation of cavities because of bacterial load and Low PH of plaque. Hence, regular cleaning helps in prevention of cavities.
- Early Detection of Dental issues: When a patient comes for cleaning, dentist also evaluates the mucosa, gums, look for cavities, ulceration or sometimes even cancer detection.
- Overall Health: Various studies have found a link between gum diseases and diabetes or heart diseases or sometimes even respiratory infections. So early intervention to these diseases can be done by good oral hygiene practices and cleaning of teeth.
Overall, Dental cleanings are important to keep gum problems away and for health of underlying bone. As oral health is integral part of general health, keeping the teeth clean at regular intervals professionally by your dentist also helps to keep the general well-being of a patient.